Anxiety UK identifies as a user-led organisation, meaning all of its employees suffer from anxiety. Whitehurst initially created the hashtag as a way of improving her own feelings of anxiety.

"My own personal anxiety wasn't that great yesterday - mostly because our systems had crashed and I couldn't get on with my work. So I decided to spread some love and positivity on Twitter, for #charitytuesday," Whitehurst tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle.

"I decided to start a #highfiveforanxiety campaign, because sometimes, when you're struggling, all you really want is for someone to say: 'Hey, you're doing great, hang in there, I'm rooting for you' and that's what the high five stands for.

"I tweeted our first high five and we received some lovely responses back, then Zoella picked it up and that was it... it really took off."

Whitehurst says Anxiety UK would love to run more campaigns such as #HighFiveForAnxiety, but as they are a small team, this isn't always possible.

However, she is pleased that her spontaneous hashtag has received such a positive response.

"It's amazing that everyone wants to come together to support each other - it really is a case of banishing that stigma and knowing that we're all rooting for those living with anxiety everywhere to make it through," she says.

"It wasn't a planned campaign, but we're all overwhelmed here by the outpouring of support, and if we encourage just one person to stand up and fight their anxiety today, then we've really succeeded."